Nobunaga Oda's Isekai Cultivation Experience

"Lord Nobunaga-sama. Allow me to introduce you to my Grandmother's partner, Hisui-sama. With his help, we'll be able to make it back to the Clan Compound in no time."Though he remained behind Yuriko until the very last moment, Nobu managed to approach Hisui without too much fear and trepidation visible in his countenance. The fact the creature's eyes were larger than his head was a little unnerving, but, following Yui's example, he ultimately managed to rest his palm on its crystalline, surprisingly warm, beak."Coooo~."Despite being relatively young, Hisui was remarkably intelligent for her age. Thus, upon hearing Yui address Nobu with honorifics, she did her best to appear humble and cute. She didn't want to make any trouble for her Master and her Granddaughter, so, even if she didn't like the way Nobu smelled, she tolerated having her beak caressed by his palm."You're not so bad, are ya? Just keep those scary-ass talons away from me...hahahahaha..."Cocking her head to the side, so much so that she was nearly staring at Nobu upside down, Hisui raised her left foot before promptly extending her three crystalline talons to their full length. She had never heard anyone refer to them as 'scary-ass talons' before so she was genuinely confused by his words. As for Nobu, well, he immediately turned statuesque the moment her talons made a *shinking* sound similar to what you might hear when a blade is unsheathed in a movie."Mou...Hisui-sama, please retract your claws. Lord Nobunaga-sama is fatigued after a long journey. Please deliver us to the Clan so we can meet with Grandmother.""Coo~!"Responding with an affirmative coo, Hisui tucked her legs beneath her body before squatting down and spreading her wings to their maximum length. This was quite a sight to behold as her wingspan was easily more than twenty meters in length. There were also three crystalline protrusions mixed in among the flight feathers of each wing, which, when fully extended, radiated a luminous jade-green light.Extending her hand to Nobu, Yui adopted a slightly apologetic smile as she noticed how drastically his complexion had paled. Despite this, she still extended her left hand towards him, gently asking, "Shall we go, Nobunaga-sama...?"......After the most terrifying and exhilarating twenty minutes of his entire life, Nobu was grateful to be on solid ground once again. The view from atop Hisui had been unbelievably breathtaking but that did little to alleviate the fear that he might slip off and plummet to his death. There wasn't anything like a harness on the inordinately large owl's back, so, throughout the flight, Nobu clung to Yui as if his life, quite literally, depended on it.Fortunately, though it did little to distract him from his potential peril, Nobu also had Yuriko sitting right behind him. She not only wrapped her arms around his waist, gently massaging his abdomen with the tips of her fingers, but, throughout the flight, her breasts had been pressed up against his back as she rested her head against his shoulders. This helped him relax quite a bit, but, more than anything else, it was the crisp and fresh air, completely overriding any smells, that allowed Nobu to remain calm.Since he was genuinely curious, Nobu waited until Hisui disappeared into the sky before asking, "Is it possible to reach a level where you can fall from any height without being killed...?"Surprised by Nobu's question, neither Yui nor Yuriko immediately answered. Instead, it was Shizune who chimed in, nervousness audible in her tone as she said, "Ano...N-Nobunaga-sama...I can answer that..."With Shizune having provided the vast majority of the information he had obtained since his arrival in this world, Nobu simply nodded in response to her statement before saying, "Go ahead." in a flat yet casual tone.Offering her usual smile, Shizune seemed to regain a bit of her confidence as she explained, "While it is uncommon in Nian, predominately due to the popularity of the Metal Infusion Technique, there are a number of cultivation methods that allow skilled practitioners to fall from extreme heights. As for practitioners of the Metal Infusion Technique, you would need to achieve the pinnacle of Mithril Lord to manage such a feat. After that, thanks to the shock absorption properties of Adamantine, it is a simple matter to survive from otherwise fatal falls."Though a part of him still hated Shizune to the core, Nobu wasn't an unforgiving asshole. He could appreciate when someone was trying to be useful, so, in response to the ingratiating smile Shizune had adopted towards the end of her explanation, he offered a curt nod before saying, "Thanks. You have a good head on your shoulders. If you weren't hiding a sadistic and opportunistic bitch under that little mask of yours, you'd actually be pretty cute."Forcing herself to laugh despite the very clear insult, Shizune made a mental note to try and avoid upsetting Nobu in the future. She knew she had mistreated him, quite egregiously, but it was still a little hurtful to hear him mix insults into every compliment he gave her. Even the Elders didn't scold her with any real venom in their tone. Thus, every time Nobu insulted her, Shizune felt an agonizing sensation near the center of her chest, almost like her heart was being squeezed...Furrowing his brows in response to Shizune's reaction, Nobu decided to ignore her as he turned to Yui and asked, "What now? I'm guessing there's a reason we stopped at the base of the mountain?"Nodding her head, Yui pulled out a jade talisman roughly shaped like half a yin-yang symbol. Then, while holding it up to the transparent dome that seemed to surround the entire mountain, she said, "Even Contracted Beasts will gradually begin to lose their life force if they enter a domain protected by a Human God. Though Inari Okami-sama possesses the characteristics of a fox, she is still one of the patron Goddesses of the Nianese people. She presides over Industriousness, Agriculture, Grains, and Fertility so she is quite an important figure. The Divine Power exuded by her tail is what allowed Owari to become one of the key grain producers in all the land. It isn't an overstatement to say that Inari Okami-sama is the Guardian Goddess of Owari..."Though she couldn't help adopting a melancholic smile as she praised the Goddess that had cursed her Clan, it couldn't be denied that the rest of Owari had benefited greatly from their suffering. This was also one of the foundational pillars maintaining their alliance with the Oda Clan, so, while their situation was more than a little tragic, the curse had allowed them to survive the last six-thousand-years without any significant threats to their survival.By the time Yui had finished her explanation, a torii gate, one of those red gates found lining the paths to shrines in Japan, manifested out of thin air. The weirdest thing about this, at least from Nobu's perspective, was that the gate almost resembled a door to another world. The mountain appeared untamed from the outside, but, peering through the luminescent gate, there was a set of stone steps leading up the mountain, several additional torii, and a number of residential structures hidden amongst the trees.Gesturing with her right hand, Yui adopted her increasingly radiant smile as she said, "Welcome to Yumegakure, the Village Hidden Within Dreams. Don't worry. Despite its name, you're not going to be spirited away the moment you step through the gate~."Unaccustomed to Yui's teasing, not just Nobu, but everyone stared at the raven-haired warrior-in-training with varying degrees of stupefaction written across their faces. This caused a subtle shade of red to color her cheeks, but, having already resolved herself to change, Yui managed to maintain her smile as she cupped her hands together, one hand over her fist, and said, "Please allow me to guide you, Nobunaga-sama..."Resisting the urge to scratch the back of his head, Nobu adopted an uncomfortable expression on his face before ultimately saying, "Sure..." in an awkward tone. He really didn't like these formalities, but, assuming it was for the best he play along, at least until he got a better grasp of the situation, he allowed Yui to lead the way while Yuriko led Shizune and Rynka towards a seven-tiered pagoda located relatively close to the edge of the barrier.Seeing several other unique structures built into the side and seemingly within the mountain itself, Nobu actually had quite a number of questions he wanted to ask. Despite this, he stayed absolutely silent as Yui led him further up the steps. He wasn't a particularly timid human being, but, as could be expected, Yumegakure was filled to the brim with beautiful, attractive, and scantily clad women. Not a single one of them appeared to be over the age of thirty, and, to make matters exponentially worse, there were naked little girls running around, seemingly without a care in the world...Noticing Nobu's discomfort, a conflicted look marred Yui's expression as she explained, "Kunoichi are taught to embrace their nakedness from a young age. Even a mild aversion to nudity can lead to death on the battlefield so even warriors conduct exposure training in order to curb their natural impulses. For the majority of warriors, this occurs between the ages of 8-14. Due to our line of work, we start a little earlier..."Seeing two little girls, neither older than the age of ten, wrestling naked while an additional half-dozen cheered them on from the sides, Nobu's expression remained remarkably sullen as he said, "Yeah...no shit..."Though they didn't seem to care, Nobu did his best to avoid looking at anyone in particular. This didn't prevent nearly everyone they passed along the way from looking at him, but, considering he was one of only seventeen males in a village housing hundreds of Kunoichi, this wasn't particularly surprising. His height wasn't doing him any favors in this regard, as, even from afar, it was painfully easy to deduce he was a man from how he towered over literally everyone else...As if guided by fate to make his life as miserable as it could possibly be, a group of girls resembling naked primary schoolers invariably began to follow along, the boldest among them asking, "Ne, ne, Yui-sama. Where did you find this giant person? Is he going to help our older sisters make babies?" with excitement and curiosity exuding from her leaf-green eyes.Were it not for the fact they were strictly educated to never touch a man who wasn't their target, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Nobu would be swarmed by curious little girls. He didn't know this at the time, but it quickly became one of the only policies he approved of until he learned the reason behind it. The girls were intended to imprint upon their first target to make their act more convincing, so, prior to becoming kunoichi, they were prohibited from having any physical contact with men.As a result of this policy, the twenty-odd girls surrounding Nobu and Yui followed along with their hands behinds their backs. This would have been an adorable sight if they were clothed, but, from his perspective, all Nobu saw was blue skies overhead. As for Yui, she did her best to get the girls to scatter. Unfortunately, despite many of the girls referring to her with the suffix -sama, none of them actually listened to her. She was disdained by a vast majority of the clan, so, even though the oldest among the group was a mere eight years old, she had more prestige among the other children than the granddaughter of the current Matriarch. This caused Yui's expression to gradually default to the one she had worn during her first meeting with Nobu, a cold and detached look that radiated just enough bloodlust to compel the inexperienced girls to scatter.........(A/N: Village Hidden Within Dreams? More like Nobu's nightmare...)

Ignoring the protests of his body and the burning of his legs and thighs, Nobu followed after Yui until they reached a clearing near the top of the mountain. Here, a number of girls wearing Miko-like attire could be seen carefully tending to the area while others, seemingly taking a break, sat off to the sides with peaceful, almost emotionless, expressions on their faces.Though the sight of girls in Miko outfits was eye-catching on its own, the things that caught Nobu's attention were the fox-like ears and tails protruding from the girls' heads and lower backs. He could tell, even at a glance, that they were the real deal. They were nothing like the feeble imitations worn by men and women fishing for attention back in his previous world. Instead, they followed the girls' movements naturally and, at times, even twitched when the wind managed to caress the finer hairs on the inside of their ears.Noticing Nobu's slight stupefaction, Yui, who had been intending to suggest they take a break, took it upon herself to explain, "When a tremendous volume of Divine Power is concentrated in a single region, there is a chance that developing fetus will develop traits associated with the presiding God or Goddess. These are known as Blessed Children, and, as you can see here, a number of Yoshitsune Clan members who have inherited the vulpine features and Divine Power of Inari Okami-sama..."Seemingly drawn to the sound of Yui's voice, the majority of Mikos in the area looked over to see who she was talking to. This caused Nobu's body to instinctually tense, not because he was afraid of them, but because Divine Power had a suppressive effect on those without it. The girls had also inherited Inari's 'fertility' trait, so, the moment they saw a man, their pupils briefly contracted before they quickly dispersed.Expecting Nobu to ask why the girls were practically running away, Yui gestured towards a stone bench before explaining, "In this region, foxes go into heat around the end of winter. As Priestesses serving Inari Okami-sama, the girls here are prohibited from having sex outside of certain rituals. If they were to stay here while a man was present, their instincts would gradually override their senses until they either collapsed from fever or obtained the seed of a man. Once we depart, they will most likely congregate around this area and...well...I'm certain you can imagine..."Forcing a smile, Nobu sat down on the pleasantly cool stone bench before patting the spot next to him and saying, "Take a seat."Now that they were inside the clan, Yui was apprehensive about deviating from the etiquette and decorum that had been drilled into her mind from birth. In the end, however, Nobu was her Lord, and, as such, she was honor-bound to obey. Thus, after a very brief moment of hesitation, she sat down next to him before immediately turning statuesque, face turning white as a sheet, when he abruptly laid his head on her thighs and noted, "I've always wanted to try this..." in a lazy tone of voice.After recovering from her shock, Yui's expression became inordinately serious as she looked around for any signs they were being spied on. At the same time, her voice remained low as she said, "Lord Nobunaga-sama. This isn't proper. If someone were to see us like this-""Bruh..."Confused by Nobu's exasperated expression, Yui fell completely silent as he rolled onto his back, his face a flawless deadpan as he remarked, "You have little girls running around completely naked and a bunch of horned-up foxes that are going to be pleasuring themselves to my scent. Are you telling me that shit is perfectly acceptable while something as tame as a lap pillow is a problem? Come the fuck on..."Though she wanted to explain that they were two entirely separate matters, the one thing Yui had learned about Nobu's character was that he viewed society in broad strokes. He didn't care about things like traditions in the slightest. He only cared about whether or not something was right and wrong from a purely objective standpoint. This was an incredibly naive way to view the world, but, at the same time, she couldn't really find the words to explain why he was wrong for thinking that society, as a whole, was filled with hypocrites and double-standards...Unable to come up with a reasonable argument for why this was bad and the other things weren't, Yui ultimately chose to remain silent. Instead, she began to gently run her fingers through his hair, something her mother would do when she received lap pillows as a young girl. Those were happier times, so, rather than complicate the moment with politics and platitudes, Yui decided to simply go with the flow and enjoy it while it lasted.........After resting for approximately half an hour, Nobu and Yui continued their ascent until they reached a large temple complex at the very top of the mountain. The front looked like any normal Japanese shrine, complete with a pyre and a blessing box. What made it stand out from the two Nobu visited in his past life were the manor-like compound connected to the back and an annex that seemed to contain a hot-springs like bath if the rising steam was any indicator.Similar to the clearing below, this place also had a few Mikos present, but, unlike the youthful girls situated further down the mountain, the women here were bonafide beauties with mature, overtly seductive, features. One was even wearing an outfit cut so low that Nobu was pretty sure he could make out part of her pale-pink nipples. She also took notice of him the moment he ascended the final step, so, for a brief moment, their eyes remained locked in frozen time until Yui stepped in the way and said, "Haruko-sama...this man is a guest of the Matriarch..."As if she had only just noticed Yui, the buxom fox woman shifted her attention away from Nobu, hand cupping her cheek as she mused, "Ara~? That's too bad~." in a seductive tone that felt like warm water washing over the minds of any man 'fortunate' enough to hear it.Blinking back to awareness the moment Haruko looked away from him, the fog that had shrouded Nobu's mind quickly faded away as he held his head and asked, "What the fuck just happened? Did that bitch just charm me...?""Oh my~."Answering before Yui could, the buxom beauty immediately appeared in front of Nobu, almost as if she had teleported, before saying in a seductive yet threatening tone, "Calling any woman a bitch is quite rude. Addressing a kitsune as such is just asking to be bullied~."As those words left her lips, pale pink hearts appeared in the depths of Haruko's oceanic blue eyes. She had only passively charmed him the first time, but, now that Nobu had insulted her, she wanted to teach him a lesson about inadvertently offending others. After all, were it not for the fact he was a guest of the Matriarch, she, a Rank 3 Platinum Lord, could have flattened him with a slap.Unable to form any thoughts due to the icy fog that had pervaded his mind, Nobu could only gawk as Haruko grabbed the sides of his face and gingerly guided him to her breasts, whispering, "When I snap my fingers, you're going to open your eyes and greet me like the good little puppy dog you are. Understood~?"As Nobu was lazily nodding his head, drool leaking from his mouth, Yui manifested a pair of golden katanas and shouted, "Haruko-sama! That man is a son of the Oda Clan! If you force him to commit such an act, you will be betraying the trust of our Masters...!"Hearing Yui's outburst, Haruko immediately deactivated her charm, confusion visible in her gaze as she tilted her head to the side and asked, "What are you talking about, Yui-chan? I have memorized the names and faces of every son and daughter of the Oda Clan. This man...is...ara?"Though Haruto was about to argue that Nobu didn't resemble any of the known members of the Oda Clan, closer inspection revealed that he actually shared quite a number of features with the current Lord. She hadn't noticed it at first, largely due to the fact he was dressed like a commoner, but, now that she looked past his disheveled bangs, realization gradually dawned upon her as she absentmindedly muttered, "Nobunaga-sama...?"Despite the drastic difference in their cultivation bases, Haruko suddenly felt as if she was hugging a bomb to her chest. At the same time, however, the tiny flame that had been ignited in her lower abdomen quickly built into a veritable bonfire as a tremendous amount of saliva began to build in her mouth. Fortunately, she was no longer a young kit, so, while her body was burning up from the inside, she managed to appear relatively calm on the surface as she handed Nobu over to Yui and said, "He should recover in a few minutes...please express my deepest apologies once he wakes up."With that said, Haruko leaped several tens of meters into the sky, her destination the forest further down the mountain. The fire in her body was quickly turning into a blazing inferno, so, while she would have liked to personally express her sincerity, staying around Nobu in her current state was simply too dangerous. She didn't know what the Matriarch wanted with the abandoned son of the Oda Clan but it was clearly beyond her paygrade. If she intervened, there was a very real chance that she would be executed just to amend any perceived grievances between the Yoshitsune and Oda Clans.........Nursing the kind of headache typically associated with hangovers, Nobu released a pained groan as he forced himself to a seated position and looked at his surroundings. He was in a moderately sized Japanese-style room, complete with tatami mats and a sliding bamboo door. There was also a small table in front of him, its surface lined with a number of different porcelain containers that contained tea and other types of herbs.Ignoring this, Nobu continued to look around, one eye open and hand massaging his head as he grumbled, "Where the fuck did that fox bitch go? Yui...?"Forgetting everything that had happened after Haruko stepped in front of him, Nobu had carelessly insulted the woman a second time. This kind of behavior would very quickly come to bite him in the near future, but, for the time being, he remained blissfully ignorant to the 'rule of the strong'. Thus, like a lamb exploring a tiger's den, utterly devoid of fear and hesitation, he climbed to his feet and attempted to leave the room by opening the sliding bamboo door."Oh? I understand your desire to stretch your legs, but this isn't a place you should be wandering about. Are you searching for Yui...?"Looking down quite a bit, Nobu found a petite yet confident-looking woman with heterochromatic red and blue pupils staring up at him with a faint smile and sharp, intelligent, eyes. She was dressed in a loose red kimono that showed off a fair amount of skin despite being wrapped by a black obi, but, rather than eyeing her virtually non-existent cleavage, he continued looking into the woman's eyes, veiled by silvery-white hair, for several seconds."Hmmmm...? You're rather bold, aren't you? It's no wonder Yui was behaving so strangely. You must have left quite the impression on her..."Though the woman standing in front of him appeared no older than 25, the aura she exuded was something Nobu had only experienced with much older women. Thus, after hearing her speak, he asked the first thing that came to his mind, inquiring, "Are you...Yui's Grandmother...?"Smiling in amusement, the woman promptly replied, "Minus thirty points. Even if you hit the nail on the head, it would have been more tactful to ask if I were her mother. It's a shame. Had you tried to flirt with me, you would have been able to experience the techniques of the most skilled kunoichi in the Yoshitsune Clan. Now you'll just have to settle for letting me pour you tea..."Punctuating her words, the ostensibly elderly woman took a step forward, and, though he had no intention of doing so, Nobu found himself taking a step back and to the side. This allowed her to casually slip past him, but, the moment he turned his head, Nobu's pupils shrank when he noticed she was already seated on the other side of the table, eyes closed as if she were patiently awaiting someone's arrival.Noticing the incredulity in Nobu's gaze, the silver-haired woman adopted a slightly teasing smile as she stated, "It only took you thirty-seven seconds to recover. That's not bad for someone at Rank 5 of the First Realm. Plus ten points..."......(A/N: The Yoshitsune Clan is a dangerous place...)

With the dawn of a new day, Nobu was anticipating they would be setting out for the Yoshitsune Clan when Yui blindsided him by asking, "What do you want to do?"Though he was pretty sure he knew what she meant, Nobu still cocked his head to the side, asking, "What do you mean?"After exchanging glances with Yuriko and receiving a slight nod in response, Yui explained, "Though there is a chance you are deceiving us, my heart tells me you are the person you claim to be. Yuriko and I have already discussed it. She will go back and learn the truth-"Raising his hand, Nobu brought a sudden and instantaneous stop to Yui's explanation, saying, "That serious nature of yours really needs some working on. Seriously..."Adopting a slight pout, Yui wanted to explain herself, but, before she could, Nobu shook his head, adding, "I already said I'd go with you. After the shit I put up with these last two months, I won't be able to rest unless I can give that old bat in the Yoshitsune Clan a piece of my mind. We can worry about other stuff later. Besides, I don't appreciate that little remark about me deceiving you...I'm a lot of things, but a liar isn't one of them. Well...so long as you ignore that part about me pretending to be Nananananananananananamori's grandchild..."With Yui's pout quickly turning into a wry yet coquettish smile, Nobu could swear his heart had, once again, skipped a beat. She didn't seem to be aware of it herself, but, ever since he had told her the truth, Yui was behaving a lot more girly than before. It was honestly creeping him out a bit, but, considering how she used to treat him, it was a qualitative improvement...Noticing the rose-colored atmosphere between Yui and Nobu, Yuriko audibly cleared her throat, drawing the attention of everyone in the cave before asserting, "Well, that settles it. I don't get the impression he's suicidal so it's safe to say this man truly is our Lord. Should we cut to the chase or do you want to wait until the Matriarch has confirmed it...?"Shaking her head in response to the latter suggestion, Yui took the initiative to sit in seiza while Yuriko promptly filed in behind and slightly to her left. Then, much to Nobu's chagrin, they both lowered their heads until their foreheads were pressed to the cold floor, the tips of their fingers touching just above their lowered bodies as they said, "Yoshitsune Yui/Yuriko greets her Lord and Master, Oda Nobunaga-sama. We pledge to serve you until our dying breath."Feeling an uncomfortable chill run through his body, Nobu wanted to tell them to stop messing around until he noticed Shizune and Rynka sitting at the sides with expressions of genuine envy on their faces. The former even became hopeful the moment he looked over, almost as if she was just waiting for him to give her permission to lower her head alongside them...Unable to resist the urge, Nobu took a moment to massage his forehead before noticing the duo still had their heads pressed to the ground. He really didn't know what to say to this, so, after a long period of silence, he just shook his head and said, "Well, whatever...just raise your heads. This shit is hella cringe. I'm literally getting goosebumps over here..."Though it was far from the dignified response they would have liked, Yui and Yuriko immediately raised their heads in response to Nobu's order. This caught the latter by surprise, as, despite their appearances suggesting they were the cool-headed or apathetic type, both had radiant smiles on their faces. From their perspective, albeit using terms from Nobu's world, it was like they had just graduated from High School after eighteen long years. They felt as though they had accomplished something great, and, regardless of what the future held, they were happy to have experienced this particular moment in time.Feeling a kind of helplessness he had never experienced before, Nobu looked away from the duo's expectant gaze, his own briefly settling on the horizon as the light of the rising sun hit his face. This caused Yuriko to swallow audibly, but, with his relatively normal sense of hearing, Nobu was spared any additional feelings of embarrassment as he muttered, "Well...this isn't so bad..." in a whispering tone that was easily picked up by all four girls.........Though their pace was a little slow due to Nobu refusing to ride on the girls' backs, it only took an additional two days for the group to reach the agricultural zone surrounding Owari-Shuto.Unlike Owari-Asai, which primarily focused on fishing and sea trade, the seemingly endless fields surrounding Owari-Shuto were encircled by a stone wall more than ten-meters high and roughly six thick. This was the agricultural center of the province, and, though he had already started to suspect this was the case, seeing the endless fields all but confirmed that Nian was 'significantly' larger than the Japan Nobu had visited in his previous life.Seeing Nobu staring blankly at the fields of radish and lotus plants, a moderately affectionate smile developed across Yui's face as she recalled their discussion pertaining to dreams. He had been very dismissive about the subject, but, even now, Yui could clearly remember the wistful look in his eyes as he spoke of one day returning home and reuniting with his mother. She liked his almost reverent silence to the reaction soldiers would have after returning from a long and arduous campaign. Thus, after observing him from the side for several seconds, she decided to be the first to say, "Welcome home, Nobu..." in a gentle tone.Blinking back to awareness, Nobu turned towards Yui only to pause the moment he saw her smiling up at him. This stopped him from asking what the hell she was talking about and instead prompted him to say, "Thanks..." in an equally soft tone. Not because he was feeling sentimental, but because Yui had practically whispered her words. It was pretty much an instinct to respond to a whisper with one of your own, but, from the kunoichi quartet's perspective, he appeared to be at a loss for words due to the emotions he was concealing beneath the surface.Though he got the distinct impression some kind of miscommunication had occurred, Nobu just shook his head before asking, "Where to? I don't see anything like a city or a castle..."Believing Nobu was trying to deflect, as he was prone to doing, Yui restrained a light chuckle before pointing towards a mountain in the distance and explaining, "The capital is on the other side of that mountain, bordering the Mino Province. As for the Yoshitsune Clan compound, it is located atop the mountain itself. You can't see it from here but there is a powerful barrier surrounding the mountain. As part of the equivalent exchange mandated by the Heavens, the Goddess Inari was forced to give our Ancestor one of her tails. Its divine protection is said to extend across the entirety of Owari but its effects are concentrated around the mountain."Since this was pretty common lore associated with the land of Owari, Yui wasn't revealing any Clan secrets by explaining a bit about their history. Rather, the Yoshitsune Clan was among the top three most notorious and prolific kunoichi clans as a direct result of their curse. They really owed the Oda Clan in this respect, as, without their protection, various Clans and Sects from throughout the land would constantly be trying to capture, imprison, or kill them...Seeing the mountain Yui was pointing to, a wry smile developed across Nobu's face as it was barely even the size of a fingernail upon the horizon. He couldn't be certain but it was at least a half, if not a full, day's walk. Yui seemed to understand what he was thinking, but, rather than suggest taking a break, she pulled out a silver flute and said, "Don't worry. Now that we've crossed the wall, I can use this..."Without explaining what the flute actually did, Yui brought it to her lips and began playing a silent song. This prompted Shizune and Rynka to back away. As for Yuriko, she promptly approached his side, gently pulling his sleeve as she suggested, "My Lord, we should back away..."Nodding his head, Nobu was prepared to follow Yuriko's suggestion when the woman in question suddenly wrapped her aura around him and leaped away. This caused his brows to twitch, but, the moment he saw storm clouds gathering in the sky, Nobu swallowed the words of indignation that had been forming at the tip of his tongue.Looking up at the storm, Nobu noticed that, instead of normal thunder and lightning, the bands gathering near the center of the darkening clouds were green. There were also a number of strange symbols appearing, and, he been closer to Yui, he might have noticed that the miniature flute in her hands was covered in identical markings. Each time she played a different note, an additional band of lightning would connect to the gathering mass until a small explosion rippled out, followed by the sound of a bird's cry.Though he knew he was in a fantasy-esque world, Nobu became slack-jawed even as Yuriko carried him to a safe distance and stood in front of him. As for the reason, well, a massive fucking bird had just appeared out of thin air 'blinking' to the ground in a streak of green lightning that generated a vibrant green electrical field that expanded radially like an EMP. This caused every hair on his body to stand on end, but, thanks to Yuriko shielding him, he didn't feel a thing from the shockwave that briefly passed through his body.When the electricity and dust began to fade away, Nobu remained in a stupor as he witnessed Yui resting her forehead against the crown? of a massive ass owl. He wasn't particularly savvy with the metric system but he estimated it to be roughly ten meters in length. This, alone, would have made it stand out, but, unlike a normal owl, this monstrosity possessed wings and feathers made of stone. It also had vibrant green crystals forming a crown-like protrusion on its head while spikes formed of the same material ran along its back. It actually looked pretty badass, but, perhaps as a result of his low cultivation base, Nobu felt like the owl was growing increasingly larger as his body regressed to that of a helpless child...Feeling a slight pinch, Nobu blinked back to awareness to find that he had been staring up at the sky. When he looked down, he found Yuriko looking up at him with an apologetic smile on her face as she pulled out a silver needle from his palm and explained, "This is a Tier 4 Aura Beast known as a Jadite Guardian Owl. It is rumored to be one of the few Aura Beasts capable of reaching the Jadite Realm, but, for the last twenty or so thousand years, nobody, man or beast, has been able to reach that level. At least, not in Nian..."Having learned that a Tier 4 beast was comparable to a weaker Mithril Lord, Nobu wasn't surprised that he would feel an almost instinctual fear in front of it. Back on Earth, the biggest land predator, a polar bear, would be lucky to exceed nine feet, roughly three meters, in height. That seemed like a complete fucking joke in front of this owl, so, after assuring himself he wasn't a bitch, Nobu did his best to appear calm as he said, "Cool..."Pretending not to notice the cold sweat covering her Lord's forehead and body, Yuriko turned away from him before nodding and saying, "Indeed..." with a marginally amused smile on her face.......(A/N: To be honest, I'd probably shit myself if lightning struck a few dozen meters away from me. If that same lightning turned into a massive ass owl...well...RIP me xD...)

Chapter 41: Yumegakure